Andalusia, a 'film set' for legendary scenes

위치

If you are thinking of travelling to Andalusia and you love cinema, you have another great reason to come: to discover the locations for great films such as "Alatriste", "007 Die Another Day", "Talk to Her", "Star Wars", and many others. Become James Bond or Indiana Jones for a day and discover spectacular landscapes in the south of Spain. Ready? Action!

To help you discover this new way of doing tourism, we are going to give you examples of films shot in Andalusia, according to the place you are visiting. Try and recognise places you have already been to:

In Almería
"Lawrence of Arabia". It was the first major film shot in Almería - 1,000 extras, 750 horses and 159 camels were used. Some of its scenes were filmed in the dunes in Cabo de Gata (the scene in which a train is blown up), or on the Algarrobico beach (the Jordanian city of Aqaba during the First World War was reproduced there).

"007 Never Say Never Again". Sean Connery, playing James Bond, shot scenes underwater at the beaches of Los Escullos and El Palmer. Why not try this experience?

"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". The city of Almería, the Tabernas desert, Mojácar and Mónsul beach were some of the locations Steven Spielberg chose for his film. Pure action.

In Cadiz
"007 Die Another Day". Cadiz is Havana in this film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry. During their stay in this part of Andalusia, both the Hollywood stars loved the typical food of the area. Do you want to follow in the characters' footsteps? Visit Santa Catalina Castle (where they sip on mojitos in the film) or La Caleta beach (where the famous scene of Halle Berry emerging from the water was shot).

In Cordoba
"Talk to Her". Although most of the film was shot indoors, famous director Pedro Almodóvar wanted Cordoba's Jewish Quarter and the town of Lucena to appear in this film, which was awarded an Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We can assure you that monuments such as the Mosque-Cathedral are absolutely magnificent.

In Granada
"Doctor Zhivago". The film starts with the funeral of Yuri Zhivago's mother, which was filmed in the spectacular landscapes of the Marquesado de Zenete region, recreating the Urals. An anecdote? In this sequence, Omar Sharif's son plays young Zhivago - that is why both characters look so alike.

In Malaga
"Summer Rain". Renowned actor Antonio Banderas chose his birthplace to direct this film in which the locations have a 1970s look. If you want to see what they currently look like and try to spot the difference, go for a walk in Plaza de la Merced, Pablo Ruiz Picasso promenade, La Malagueta beach…

"The Bridge of San Luis Rey". Thousands of people gathered in the city of Malaga to be extras in this film starring Robert De Niro and Geraldine Chaplin, amongst others. Now it's your turn to discover the locations for this film by visiting Malaga, Antequera bullring and the nature area of El Chorro.

In Seville
"Knight and Day". Cadiz and Seville were chosen to recreate the "Sanfermines" bull-running festival, in this film starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, who filmed action-packed scenes on a motorbike. In Seville, go for a walk round emblematic locations such as the Casa de Pilatos House, the Cathedral, the Giralda tower and the Reales Alcázares palace to spot places in the film.

"Black Swan". Did you know that Japanese dancer Yumiko Takeshima owns a dress-making workshop in the town of Cazalla de la Sierra, in the province of Seville? The spectacular maillots that Natalie Portman wears in this film were designed there.

"Alatriste". The adventures of Captain Alatriste, played by Viggo Mortensen, take place in Jaén (in towns such as Úbeda and Baeza, with monumental sites that have been awarded the World Heritage designation by the UNESCO), Cadiz and Seville. In the latter you can't miss the Royal Mint, which was used for the scene in which the famous actress María de Castro performs in the premiere of one of Quevedo's works.

"Star Wars". In this film, Plaza de España square in Seville turns into the city of Theed, where Anakin Skywalker can be seen walking. The crew stayed at a luxurious hotel in this city using fake names. For example, Natalie Portman used the name Sophie.

These are just some examples of films shot in Andalusia. But there are many more: "Cleopatra", "Carmen", "The Pride and the Passion", "The Heart of the Earth", "Callas Forever", etc. One of the most interesting is "Andarushia: Megami no houfuku" ("Andalusia: Revenge of the Goddess"), a Japanese film that was a box office hit and was mainly filmed in this part of Spain.